“We can always go up to your apartment. It’s been a while since you even slept there.” I rub circles over a risen scar, wishing I had the power to take them from him—erase everything he went through. It should have been me.
“I know you don’t like leaving Charlotte here alone. I don’t mind sleeping here. I’m just going to go up and grab my pillow and some clean clothes” He kisses my head and uncurls his arm from around me. Sitting up, my eyes feast on his naked flesh as he slips his jeans up to his thighs. “Pervert,” he admonishes, and I blush, throwing myself back against my pillow and covering my face. “Don’t be long,” I groan from beneath the duvet.
When I know he’s gone, I yawn, stretching out my limbs. Pushing the duvet from my body, I slip on a t-shirt and shorts.
The front door opens and closes, the scent of pizza dough hitting my nostrils. Yum. Walking into the kitchen, I grin. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”
Charlotte rolls her eyes, dumping the box and her keys on the counter. “When my ass is the size of my car, you’re paying for my gym membership,” she huffs. All we do these days is eat comfort food and veg out. Opening the fridge, a gasp whooshes from her lips. She turns, facing me. “We’re out of wine!”
Laughing at her dramatic flair, I steal a bite from a slice and point upwards. “Jack will have wine. I’ll run up and get a bottle,” I say around a mouthful of cheesy goodness.
“I love having his stash,” she calls out as I grin and pull open the front door, taking the stairs up to Jack’s apartment. Trying the handle of his front door, I push inside when it gives way under my hand. “It’s just me,” I call out, seeking him out but coming up empty. “Jack?”
A thudding of feet race from his room, the door slamming. “Lizzy, what are you doing up here?”
Jerking a thumb over my shoulder, I say, “Charlotte forgot wine.” My gaze flicks behind him. He looks like I interrupted something. Secrets, I can’t bear to have more of them. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” His answer is too quick. Shadows pass through his eyes. My moon is trying to hide from the tide. “Don’t lie to me, Jack. Not ever. I can’t bear it.” I whimper almost losing my breath, a hand to my chest.
“Lizzy…” He says my name with so much emotion, tears spring in my eyes. God, what is it? What more could we have to overcome?
Reaching his hand out, he implores me with his eyes alone. Stepping forward, I take his palm in mine. “I love you. God, no one has ever loved a woman the way I love you. You’re my everything. My soul is tethered to yours—now, then, always.”
“What’s happening, Jack?” I ask, fearful of the answer.
“Willis was a monster. No matter how much I want to deny it, it leaves a stain, my sins, his sins—they haunt me, Liz.”
“Jack,” I hiccup his name, my free hand cupping his jawline, “you’re so much more than you give yourself credit for. You saved me, and god knows how many others.”
“But there are others who need saving.”
His words confuse me. “What are you saying?” Furrowing his brow, he turns toward his room, tugging me along.
My heart drums in my chest as he twists the handle and pushes it open.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The wall that was once filled with my face and Stephan’s victims is now plastered with new images, a new girl, clues, newspaper clippings. A title scribbled at the top, ‘Doll maker’
“There are a lot more Willis’s and Stephan’s out there. It’s my duty to stop them. My salvation lies in saving kids like us—women like our mothers.”
This is what he does. “I hunt.” His words resurface in my mind, bouncing around like a ping pong ball, lighting up every emotion imaginable. Gathering all the pieces of my soul, heart, and the strength he gives me, I nod. “Who is she?”
“She’s missing. They think taken by a serial killer. People in the chat rooms online are calling him the doll maker. He keeps his victims alive for at least a month, dresses them up like dolls.” He looks over the images on the board.
An icy cold shiver dances up my spine at the thought of this girl being kept somewhere, terrified, waiting to die. I slip my hand into his. “What can I do to help?”
A smile, half sad, half elated, broadens his features. “Really? You don’t have to be a part of this,” he implores, raising our joined hands to his chest.
“I’m part of you. Whatever we do, we do together. Let’s help this girl.” I jerk my head in silent confirmation.
Wrapping me in his embrace, his lips dance over mine, causing a fever to rise within me. “I love you.” His lips continue to devour before pulling away when we’re both breathless, his vivid green eyes boring into mine. “Together.” He nods.
Slipping from his embrace, I go to his board and rub away the title Doll Maker. This isn’t about the killer. I don’t want to feed into the hype and fame of them. It’s about the victims, finding them, giving them a voice and retribution. I write the fitting words above her face: Lost Girl. Just like with my lost boy, we will find her.
The End…
If you enjoyed this title you may enjoy
Pretty Stolen Dolls
I See You
or
Devil
Titles found here:
Amazon
Acknowledgments
Thank you firstly to you the reader, I know I kept you waiting for so long with this one and I hope you found it worth the wait. These characters were complex and needed the right attention. Thank you for sticking with me and being patient.
Monica (Word Nerd Editing)
- Thank you for your hard work and support, your excited comments made me giggle.
Teresa, (Proofreader)
- Thank you for always being there to pick
